Sal’s Barbershop in Plymouth mixes old-fashioned service with modern vibe

Salvatore Giannone, owner of Sal’s Barbershop, poses near a mural of images of Philadelphia sports teams in his Plymouth business on Jan. 11, 2016.
Gene Walsh — Digital First Media

PLYMOUTH >> For more than 40 years the red and white barber pole has been letting men know they were welcome to come inside, get a haircut and, like most barbershops, engage in a little bonding.

When Salvatore Giannone took over the space that had been Nick’s Barbershop in Plymouth Valley Shopping Center recently, his goal was to amp up that old school personal service with a modern sensibility.

“Most men go to salons and the fancy joints, and the old barber trade is dying. But it’s starting to make a comeback,” said Giannone, a Plymouth Whitemarsh graduate. “I didn’t buy an existing business, I’m renting the property and I changed everything about the place, from floor to ceiling, with the help of friends. Not that I didn’t appreciate Nick’s shop. I just felt like I could do something a little more modern, yet keep it retro Americana.”

Entering the bright and welcoming Sal’s Barbershop, 1011 Germantown Pike, Plymouth Meeting, is like taking a step back into another decade — a long ago decade — when barbershops were sanctuaries for men, immune to the trendy shifts in culture outside their walls.

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With the smell of Clubman aftershave in the air, the lineup of vintage barber chairs and most of all, the cozy hospitality, it’s clear he’s captured a bit of the golden age of barbershops — when his mentor and grandfather, Salvatore Giannone, began his barbering career.

“My grandfather was a barber for 50 years,” Giannone said. “We worked together at Gus Butera’s Barbershop in Conshohocken and he taught me as an apprentice. The day before he died he told me if he could go back 50 years he would have opened his own barbershop. And he also thought I should open my own shop.”

Four years later Giannone knew the time was right to follow his grandfather’s advice — sweetened with the presence of the chair his grandfather’s clients sat in, which Giannone bought from Gus Butera.

“I just wasn’t ready to open a shop four years ago. I had a lot to learn about the business. Now I’m a master barber who is certified to teach barbering,” Giannone allowed. “I’ve been through a lot of trials and tribulations in my life. My grandfather was a pretty popular guy, and this was a seamless transition for me.”

Drawing customers from Giannone’s established following as well the foot traffic from Nick’s old customers — haircuts are done strictly on a walk-in basis — business has been brisk from the outset, he noted.

“I did 24 haircuts the first day in here by myself,” Giannone said proudly.

Since then he’s hired three more barbers, one of whom he worked with at Gus Butera’s shop.

“I wouldn’t hire somebody if they couldn’t cut hair as well as I can, if not better. The quality of the haircut is always number one,” he said. “But it’s about more than a haircut here. We want to offer a different kind of barbershop experience. It’s about hospitality.”

From the moment they walk in, customers get hooked on that hospitality, which includes a complimentary Yuengling’s or Miller Lite beer.

Hungry?

A table in the back of the pristine shop is stacked with snackable goodies, from granola bars and pretzels to cookies and potato chips.

“I want you to feel as close as you can to being home. If you came to my house, I’d offer you something to eat or drink and it’s the same way here,” said Giannone, who was intent on providing world-class gentlemanly appurtenances like an authentic straight razor shave, a menthol-scented hot towel and even a shoe shine and mini massage.

“It’s just an added touch you’re not going to get at other places,” he noted.

In addition to a haircut, the VIP treatment includes all of the above for $20.

“Everybody should feel like a VIP. It’s not about getting a haircut in five minutes and you’re out,” Giannone said. “You won’t find a haircut package like this for $20 anywhere in the world. I wanted to bring affordable barbering to customers that want shaves but don’t want to pay $40 for all that, and there’s no reason they should have to. Think of having a long day at work on a Friday and you come in and maybe there’s a basketball game on and I hand you a beer. You get a good haircut, a good shave, a hot towel on your face, a nice massage and you’re out the door and you’re happy and ready to start the weekend.

“There’s nothing like turning a guy around to see himself in the mirror and he smiles ear to ear because he likes the way he looks,” he added. “That’s so gratifying.”

As they relax in the chair, men can scan the gallery of local sports legends like Billy Cunningham of the Philadelphia Sixers and Tommy McDonald, who led the Philadelphia Eagles to a 1960 NFL championship — all captured in crisp black and white images that line the walls and create a casual theme.

“The one thing that binds a lot of men together is sports. If there is less to talk about, at least everybody can talk about sports,” Giannone said, laughing.

While he’s not surging his vision ahead in an overly swift manner, Giannone’s goal is to one day buy the property and even franchise the old-fashioned barbershop concept.

“It’s hard to find a good barber nowadays, but I have faith that if you leave my barbershop you’ll be back,” he said. “And that’s important, that customers feel at home and trust in you.”